The brand of Star Wars has experienced a roller-coaster ride these past few years. Shows like Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Mandalorian S3, and The Book of Boba Fett didn’t quite get the response they wanted. There were some moments of excitement in all of them, but overall, it was quite unimaginative. Shows like Ahsoka, Andor, and The Bad Batch were successful with stories that provided a different perspective on existing lore. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor are on another level and are great at doing their own thing. Here, I’ll be talking about the movies and Disney+ shows.
Andor was outstanding, showing how the common folk struggled with the war against the empire. The fights they carried out both on the front lines and behind the scenes felt like watching a spy series. Bringing back several characters for Ahsoka in live-action form was rejuvenating. It built upon the stuff from the Star Wars: Rebels series and laid the groundwork for a fresh narrative to be told down the line. The Bad Batch tells stories from the perspective of the clones and plants the seeds of the rebellion.
Negative criticism for ‘The Acolyte’
A huge problem still exists at the heart of all the Disney+ shows and movies. The Skywalker Saga. They’re all connected in some way to the lore of the Skywalkers, whether it’s the empire or the characters themselves. So, when I see that the trailer for Star Wars newest series, The Acolyte, has garnered negative criticism, especially on YouTube, with the amount of dislikes resembling that of a lightsaber, it shows that people don’t want to move away from their comfort zones.
The trailer broke the record for the most views of any Lucasfilm Disney+ series on all platforms combined. Not because it was innovative, but because it was divisive in some fans minds. These fans like revisiting familiar themes and beats but still criticize The Force Awakens for being a rehash. Or The Last Jedi, when it broke their code of what a Star Wars movie can be. After seeing the trailer, my initial thought was, ‘I’m intrigued by this. This looks good’. But it looks like most of the fans don’t agree with this sentiment.
The ideology of Star Wars fans has to change
The Acolyte is telling something new—something that has not been seen before in live-action form, at least. Fans want to linger in the present era of the Star Wars universe, reminiscing about what it is and not what it can be for future generations. This is true, especially when a nostalgia-driven episode in a Disney+ series comes out. I like it; every fan likes it, and it garners all the good reviews and ratings. But, ultimately, it’s something that has already been seen before, but it’s being presented from a certain point of view.
Countless stories are waiting to be told in the Star Wars universe, specifically in the past and future eras of Star Wars. Fans want to remain in the present era, and Disney obliges because this type of content is making them the most money. I want Star Wars to bring something unorthodox, something that doesn’t require viewing countless hours of previous content. The Acolyte is on the verge of doing something like this, and I’m all for it. And for the fans that are resisting and want to keep watching the conventional, cookie-cutter stories, I have one modified quote from Kylo Ren for them:
‘Let the past die. Kill it, if you have to. That’s the only way for Star Wars to become what it can be for the next generation.’